Chapter 20
ROWAN
It feels wrong to be so exhilarated right now, but after everything that’s happened this week—finding my mom, bonding with Cade, returning to Solara, stepping into my place as luna…
I can’t imagine feeling anything other than blissful.
So much so, I hardly slept last night. And yet, as the sun filters through the curtains, soft and golden, there isn’t a tired bone in my body. There’s only the desire to be with my mate, our family, and our pack.
Malrik be damned.
If I didn’t know what he’s capable of—if I hadn’t seen the damage he leaves behind—it would be dangerously easy to pretend he doesn’t exist. But I know I can’t.
This is my fight. Malrik wants me, and that’s exactly what I’m going to give him.
My skin prickles with restless energy, the need to move, to do something, so I carefully start lifting Cade’s arm from where it’s draped across my stomach.
He tightens his hold instantly.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he mutters, voice rough with sleep, not even bothering to open his eyes.
“To get dressed and meet Iris,” I say, shifting slightly. “Her sorceress friend could be here anytime, and she’s not meeting her without me.”
“Without us,” he corrects, pulling me closer like I weigh nothing. “How do you have this much energy after last night?”
I grin into his shoulder. “I’m high on life and sex. What do you expect?”
My thoughts and good mood weren’t the only things that kept me awake into the late hours of the evening.
His chest rumbles under my cheek. “If I’d known you were a morning person, I might’ve rethought that bite.”
Using the power that I’ve managed to keep a tight hold on lately, I allow it to zap him lightly. “You should rethink that statement.”
He groans. “I was only teasing, woman.”
“So was I.” I press a kiss to his cheek before slipping out of his hold.
“Words don’t hurt as much as your hybrid magic.”
My laughter fills the room as I cross to the closet. “Poor, poor alpha. Taken down so easily by a mere hybrid.”
“Mere hybrid, my ass.”
He’s behind me before I can react, palm connecting with my backside in a sharp smack that sends heat straight through me.
“You’ll pay for that later.”
I glance over my shoulder, smiling. “I look forward to it.”
Since I showered before bed, I dress quickly, still riding that bright, buzzing energy, and the moment I step into the hallway, I already know where I’m headed.
Archie.
His house-closet isn’t far from our master suite, and I open the door quietly. Blankets are piled high. A new hammock is strung across one corner. There are at least three hidden snack stashes I’m pretending I don’t know about.
And right in the center, a very asleep ferret. I scoop him up without hesitation.
“Good morning, sunshine,” I whisper, running my fingers down his back.
He stretches dramatically, tiny paws flexing. “Morning. Neck. More sleep.”
“You got it.”
I drape him around my shoulders and let my hair fall forward to block out the light.
Cade steps out behind me, already dressed, his gaze landing on Archie like he’s debating something I wouldn’t approve of.
He wisely says nothing.
“Breakfast before we meet your psychotic grandmother?” he asks, gesturing toward the stairs.
“Please.”
The moment we step into the main level of the pack house, the scent hits me.
Warm bread. Spiced meat. Something sweet—berries, maybe. And underneath it all, coffee so strong it practically sings.
My stomach growls immediately.
“Okay,” I mutter. “Maybe I’m still human after all.”
Cade huffs a quiet laugh beside me.
The pack house kitchen is alive in a way I didn’t fully notice the first time we were here. Wolves move easily through the space—some cooking, some cleaning, some just grabbing plates and talking like this is the most natural thing in the world.
Because it is.
Solara isn’t just a place to live. It’s a community with a strong heartbeat.
A family.
A broad-shouldered older man stands at the center of it all, directing traffic with the ease of someone who’s done this for decades. His gray hair is pulled back at the nape of his neck, sleeves rolled, apron dusted with flour.
The moment he spots us, his posture straightens.
“Alpha. Luna.”
His voice carries, and the room shifts subtly.
“Good morning,” Cade replies easily.
The man steps forward, wiping his hands. “Name’s Harris. I handle most of the meals around here.”
“Most?” I ask, glancing around as someone else flips something in a pan behind him.
He snorts. “The pack contributes. Always has. But I keep things from burning down.”
“That’s a valuable skill,” I say seriously and with a heavy dose of gratitude. Cooking has never been something I could grow fond of.
His mouth twitches just before his expression softens, something heavier settling in. “I owe you both an apology.”
Cade’s brows pull together slightly. “For what?”
Harris exhales. “The last time you came back… I should’ve done this then. Should’ve made sure you were fed. Welcomed properly.”
The room quiets just enough that I know others are listening.
Cade doesn’t hesitate. “That wasn’t on you.”
“Still,” Harris insists. “It won’t happen again.”
Something in Cade shifts—subtle, but I feel it through the bond. Acceptance.
“Thank you,” he says, most likely because it’s what the shifter seems to need to hear.
Harris nods once, satisfied, then turns, already grabbing plates. “Sit and eat, please.”
We’re barely seated before food is being placed in front of us.
Eggs, roasted potatoes, thick slices of bacon, still sizzling from the pan, and a glorious platter of fresh fruit.
Archie lifts his head just enough to sniff. “Is that meat?”
“Yes,” I murmur with a smirk.
“I’m awake now.”
Of course he is.
“Rowan.”
I glance up to see Stephanie approaching—her familiar presence grounding in a way I didn’t expect.
“Hey,” I say, smiling. “Good to see you.”
“You too,” she replies, eyes flicking briefly to Cade before returning to me. “Glad to see you settling in.”
There’s no snark in her words. Just truth.
Behind her, Caleb steps up, giving Cade a nod. “Alpha.”
Cade inclines his head. “Caleb.”
Two others join us—wolves I don’t recognize.
A woman with deep brown skin and bright green eyes drops into the seat across from me. “I’m Tessa.”
“Rowan,” I say.
She grins. “Yeah. We’re all well aware of who our new luna is.”
Beside her, a younger guy—barely out of his teens—offers an awkward nod. “I’m Micah. I help plan patrol rotations.”
“Nice to meet you both,” I say.
Archie peeks out from my hair. “Did you get me bacon yet?”
I cover my plate with a hand. “You said you wanted to sleep. I’m not sharing now.”
Of course I’m joking, but Micah seems to want to make friends.
He holds two pieces up. “I’ll share.”
“Good man,” Archie says, immediately abandoning his post around my neck and making his way to the teenager.
Laughter starts to build around us. And as I sit there—eating, surrounded by voices and warmth and the steady presence of Cade at my side—I feel it deeper.
This isn’t temporary or fragile. This is ours.
Cade’s knee brushes mine under the table.
You’re glowing, he murmurs through our bond and takes me by surprise once again.
I glance back at Cade, smiling softly. I finally understand what you were fighting for.
His gaze holds mine for a second longer than necessary, then he nods before we both go back to eating.
To soak in the quiet and the unity before it’s time to meet the sorceress who may or may not change what we do next.
By the time Cade, Archie, and I make it to Iris’s cabin, she’s already up and making sure everyone else is painfully aware of it.
Her front door is thrown wide open, music spilling out into the morning air as she belts out lyrics that are aggressively incorrect.
She spins in a slow circle across the worn wood floor, arms lifted like she’s performing for a crowd that absolutely did not ask for this, completely unbothered by the chaos she’s creating.
“I’m going to wait out here,” Cade says, his tone somewhere between amused and deeply concerned.
“Good choice.”
I step inside anyway, because someone has to be the brave one in this family.
Iris doesn’t stop her off-key serenade until I’m fully in the doorway. Then she gasps like she’s just spotted royalty and presses a hand to her chest.
“Good morning, sugar plum,” she says, beaming. “Perfect timing. I was just getting ready to leave. Liz should be here any minute with our ride.”
Right. Iris can’t run or shift.
Her hair is even more chaotic than it’s been lately, spiking in directions that defy logic, but at least she’s abandoned her usual grayscale mourning attire in favor of a bright, flowing floral dress that swishes dramatically every time she moves.
“Great,” I say, glancing toward the open door as the low rumble of an engine approaches. “Shall we?”
She points at Archie, currently draped around my neck and very much sleeping again. “Useless thing.”
Archie doesn’t so much as twitch, and honestly, I respect his commitment to ignoring her.
A moment later, Liz pulls up in a four-seater UTV, dust kicking up behind her as she brakes just short of the steps.
“Shotgun!” Iris calls, already halfway out the door before anyone can argue, sliding into the front seat like she owns the vehicle.
“I was going to demand to drive,” Cade mutters as he climbs in beside me in the back, “but I’m not sitting that close to the crazy lady.”
“Probably better overall,” I say, catching the wicked grin Liz throws over her shoulder as she grips the wheel like she’s been waiting her entire life for this exact moment.
We take off before I can question it.
The ride out past the western border is fast and rough, the terrain shifting from dense forest to more open land where the trees thin and the ground turns uneven and dry.
The wind whips through my hair, carrying the now familiar scents of Solara—pine, earth, wild things—but as we push farther out, something else creeps in.
Stillness.
But it’s not empty
Am I sensing pack members this far out? I ask Cade through our link.